There are few more dominant teams in NFL history than the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the team being the second oldest franchise in the AFC. Since the merging with the NFL, the Steelers have become the most successful team in American Football history.
During the 1970s, no team in the NFL could touch the Pittsburgh team. Nowadays, the Steelers are tied with the New England Patriots for the most Super Bowl titles, with both having won the main championship on six occasions.
The Steelers are also tied with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers for the second-most appearances in the Super Bowl. However, the massive NFL franchise also has traces of soccer in its history, as they share close ties with a Chilean team.
The link between the two teams in different countries centers around the badge that both hold in the highest regard. The ‘Steelmark’ crest was created by American iron and steel institute to promote its manufacturers across the world. This would enable those looking to buy materials to overlook purchasing from competitors such as aluminium and plastic.
Soon enough, this marketing effort would make its way into American Football, with Republic Steel paying the Steelers to place the logo on their helmets and other pieces of protective equipment in 1962.
Due to the popularity of the logo, it would later become the team’s official emblem, which is still visible on team jerseys in this modern day.
Chile is the home of many famous soccer stars, like Arturo Vidal, who was for many years in the best Bundesliga betting sites while he played for German champions Bayern Munich.
The link between Chilean soccer and Pittsburgh Steelers comes due to the Huachipato FC rebranding in 1966. Due to their passion of being from a small steel mining province in Chile, they decided to take follow the path taken by the Steelers and include the Steelmark logo as their emblem.
How Chile’s club had heard about the logo in the first place is still anybody’s guess, but many believe that it could be down to dealings with American workers in the industry. However, the links between the two clubs don’t stop there.
The Chilean club’s nickname is ‘Los Acereros’, which directly translates to ‘The Steelers’. Maybe the fact that two teams on opposite sides of the world would share a logo at some point in their history was just fate.
Huachipato FC were founded in 1947, and they played their official first recorded match in the steel industry in the local region. However, immediate success was hard to achieve for the team, as it wasn’t until 1956 and 1964 that they would win their first regional championships.
During their first seasons in Chilean soccer, they were largely a second division team. However, they would finally gain their passage to the top level of soccer in the nation in 1966-67. It was a remarkable rise to the top of the game after only becoming a professional team just two years earlier.
History would be made in 1974, as Huachipato FC would become the first team from the southern region of the nation to win the First Division Football Championship. However, their importance to the region was far greater than their performances on the field, as players that represented the club would later go on to enjoy fine careers by showcasing the important steelmakers values. Some of the legendary players that would pass through the club included Mario Salgado, Rodrigo Millar, and Pedro Morales.
Steelers fans would enjoy hearing that the Chilean team that shares the same emblem has experienced huge success in recent memory. Huachipato FC reached the semi-finals of the Torneos Apertura on four successive occasions between 2003 and 2006, while they had also gained qualification to the Copa Sudamericana.
Domestic success would also follow in the early 2010s after winning a second championship in 38 years after beating Union Espanola in the Chilean Clausura Tournament final in 2012.
Huachipato FC have also achieved very recent success on the field, as they claimed a dramatic Chilean Primera Division success in 2023 after finishing one-point clear of the field. The success was made possible following a 2-0 win over Audax Italiano, and it secured a third top-flight title in Chile. Due to winning the honor, they also booked their spot in the Copa Libertadores for the first time in their history.
The Steelers aren’t the only sports franchise that shares links with Huachipato FC. The Chilean team also took inspiration from Italian giants Inter Milan when it comes to the colours that they play in.
Since their promotion to the top-flight in 1967, Huachipato have played in the blue and black jerseys made famous across the world by Inter Milan. Prior to the change in team colors, Huachipato previously played in red shirts, blue shorts, and white socks, which are the same colors as the Chilean national team.
